The ‘Save Jericho’ campaign suffered a rather direct setback last evening, although not exactly a killing blow. The Wall Street Journal posted an interview with Les Moonves, CBS’ President, where he effectively states that CBS could not financially continue with Jericho within a different type of business model.

Asked if CBS would consider producing the show and broadcasting the episodes online, Mr. Moonves responded he “would be losing a considerable amount of money.”

Now, there is nothing within this answer that fans didn’t know. The reality is that online advertising has never reached a point where it could sustain a $2 Million per episode drama, especially because they would lose out considerably on international distribution deals and the like. The model just isn’t there online, where everything goes through CBS and international rights are incredibly difficult to organize (Remember: fans in Canada and other international countries can’t watch in the same way).

Moonves, however, represents the boss of the person being most targeted by the campaign, Nina Tassler. In other words, this is the most definitive statement we’ve seen that CBS is not willing to budge from their current position.

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After posting my discussion of midseason shows earlier, I hopped over to the CBS Jericho boards in an attempt to figure out where fans of the show would rather be watching it. While there has been no confirmation of its renewal for a second season, a little bit of hypothetical optimism never hurt anyone. I had trouble finding a timeslot for the show in my head that would avoid strong competition and yet not be a complete dead zone, so I figure there’s no better people to refer to than the fans themselves. The following are the different options brought forward in that thread.

Wednesdays at 8pm

Pros: Kid Nation is likely to either end early or quickly, it’s the same as the old timeslot, early enough for families to watch.

Cons: Too early for people in Central Time Zone, competition with American Idol in the Spring, early hour limits producers in discussing and portraying certain issues.

Tuesdays at 10pm

Pros: Cane could possibly be canceled in the timeslot (CBS struggled to establish new dramas in it this year), late hour allows people to watch it live after work, decent lead-in with The Unit.

Cons: Families couldn’t watch it together, competition in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and Boston Legal, Cane is perhaps CBS’ strongest drama prospect.

Sundays at 8pm

Pros: Viva Laughlin will be a tough sell for the network, it has a 60 Minutes lead-in, early for families.

Cons: The slot isn’t exactly big with young viewers, and it would be hard to crack into in the fall when NFL football airs on NBC. Also, it would have to deal with football overruns, which would make for wonky scheduling (A tough thing for a serial drama to overcome).

Fridays at 9pm

Pros: Moonlight could be axed early with poor performance, CBS is a consistent winner on Fridays with Ghost Whisperer and Numbers, established fanbase will follow show even onto a tough night, 9pm start time is a happy medium for families and other viewers.

Cons: Friday has limited viewership, and a 2nd season would struggle to gain much growth on the night when most are out and about.

There was some talk about Saturday Night (No new programming will air on Saturday Night for as long as we live, more than likely) and Monday (Comedy block is strong counter-programming) but I think the above four are the best options.

So, fans of Jericho, where do you think your show should be scheduled. Or, if you’re not a fan, where do you think a serial drama could find a safe haven on the 2007/2008 Schedule?

The ‘Save Jericho’ campaign has been going for a week and a half. The network is promising to consider fans’ cries for closure, which could mean a multitude of things. In my view, the fan response has been good enough that CBS will not suggest a simple interview with producers to let fans know how it would have ended. Instead, I believe that what CBS will suggest is a 2-hour movie which will complete the series quickly but in a more resolute fashion. Fans, clearly, are adamant that a second season is the only option: that there is no other way they will be satisfied. And this has been their focus: the message to fans is that, much like Jake facing the threat from New Bern, surrender isn’t an option.

What I want to consider here is whether or not a 4-hour miniseries would be surrendering. It has benefits for fans over a two-hour movie, and it has benefits for executives in a shorter shooting schedule. It provides CBS with an opportunity to test this fan support in gauging possible further extension of the franchise without risking it on a season order, while also providing producers more room to work with. I think that asking CBS to cough up a second season of the show is a lot, which is why I think that Jericho fans need to be prepared to compromise, not surrender. And I believe that a two-part miniseries is that compromise, and one that could continue the campaign’s momentum into the fall months.

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